Toolchefs Atoms Crowd 2.0.5 | 597.5 mb
Toolchefs has released Atoms Crowd 2.0, the latest update to its cross-platform crowd simulation system, adding a “state of the art” OpenGL draw system with support for LODs, and big render speed boosts.
Atoms Crowd is a crowd simulation framework which is skeleton based, modular and fully customizeable via c++ or python. Atoms Crowd is integrated with Maya, Houdini and Katana but is also a standalone application and supports Vray, Renderman and Arnold
The release also adds a helper tool for assigning animations to crowd agents; new modules for killing off agents, making them follow one another or fire weapons; and a new Python plugins system.
- A pipeline-ready, cross-platform crowd simulator aimed at VFX and feature animation
Created by former crowd tools developers at MPC and Framestore, and released late last year, Atoms Crowd is a skeleton-based simulation system that works across a range of key visual effects tools. As well as integrating with Maya, Houdini and Katana, it supports the Arnold, RenderMan and V-Ray renderers, and workflows based around the FBX and Alemmbic file formats. The software is currently in use at Emmy Award-winning VFX facilities Cinesite and Base FX.
- Improved OpenGL draw and render performance
One key focus in Atoms Crowd 2.0 is improving performance when rendering to screen, with a “state of the art” OpenGL draw system with automated support for LOD meshes for crowd agents. The update also introduces automatic instancing and frustum culling to speed up renders: in the 2,500-agent scene in the video above, they make rendering to Maya’s Render View just under 15x faster.
- New tools for assigning animation clips to agents; more modules for crowd behaviours
New artist tools include an Agents Helper for assigning animation clips or variations to agents selected in the viewport, and a graph view for editing foot down data within animation clips. The release also adds new modules for killing off crowd agents, making them follow one another, and Arrow Emitter, which creates new agents based on the animation states of others, as when firing weapons.
- Support for Python plugins, new Alembic mesh loader, better Maya integration
Pipeline changes include a new Python plugins system, making it possible for TDs to customise Atoms Crowd’s functionality, or create their own custom tools. The update also introduces support for the Alembic format when loading meshes, as well as when exporting animation data; plus the option to script in support for custom mesh and skeleton formats. Integration with Maya has also been extended: cloth setup now supports Maya’s Wrap deformer, and the CFX exporter for cloth and fur simulation caches, added in Atoms Crowd 1.15, now supports blendshapes. There is also a handy-looking new workflow for dragging and dropping attributes from Maya’s Outliner directly into Atoms Crowd module
This version of Atoms Crowd contains the following bug fixes and improvements. Features and improvements:
- New state-of-the-art OpenGL draw system. Agent type settings for OpenGL LODs.
- Katana 3 support.
- Cache Exporter is interruptable.
- New agent randomizer tool.
- New agents helper tool.
- New Kill module.
- New ProximityMetadata module.
- New FollowAgent module.
- New ArrowEmitter module.
- Variation tables can store a look file per agent type and preview images for each geometry group.
- FBX exporter exports attribute with the "atoms_" prefix by default, but can be deactivated in the FBX exporter UI.
- The clip being played by the state machine and clip reader modules can be displayed when activating the debug checkbox.
- New expose curve and mesh metadata nodes.
- Documentation for Atoms Crowd nodes available.
- Added progress bar to Variation builder.
- Automatic render instancing and frustum culling.
- New python plugins systems.
- New python hooks: variation filter and custom file browser.
- Mesh loader can be extended.
- Skeleton loader can be extended.
- Added alembic support for reading meshes.
- Added pole vector locator when tagging a foot root.
- Added import, load and save buttons to all tabs in the Atoms UI.
- Foot down data can now be edited directly in the Atoms UI.
- New network nodes for getting and setting joint matrices.
- New network nodes for getting and setting Maya attributes (Maya).
- Cloth Setup now support the wrap deformer (Maya).
- CFX Sim Exporter supports "First" cloth caches when exporting groom cache and dynamic curve alembics (Maya).
- DG node for reading cloth caches (Maya).
- Added blend shape support to CFX simulation exporter (Maya).
- New agent group widget for module list metadatas (Maya).
- Added percentage sliders for point layout UI (Maya).
- Drag and drop attributes from the outliner to connect them with the module metadatas (Maya).
- Multiple selection is now supported in the module list (Maya).
- Support for more than one xgen collection per description (Maya).
- Support to serialized groom data inside the variation table
- Added mesh filters to the variation table
- Added path filters (C++ only)
- Added support to Arnold 5.1.1.X
- Added renderman 22 procedural
Bug Fixes:
- UV coordinates are not being re-evaluated for each follicle when building the CFX scene (Maya).
- Atoms UI does not break if the event name contains white spaces in GUI mode.
- Houdini skeleton animation exporter used to fail if a ground mesh was not used as input.
- State machine editor now only display the registered animation clip events.
- Fixed an issue with alembic sub-sampling and xgen.
- Fixed an issue with katana when expanding all agent geos.
About Atoms Crowd. The ToolChefs release Atoms Crowd, a new framework designed for crowd simulations for the visual effects and animation industries. Atoms is completely standalone tool that can easily be integrated into any 3D application and supports integration Autodesk Maya, Katana and Side FX Houdini. The framework allows for an easy change of data between the two 3D programs.
Atoms sets the focus of making crowd simulation easy no matter your skill level. The idea is that you don’t need to be a technical artist or savvy with scripting to art direct crowd shots. The “democratization” of crowd simulation and other technically heavy effects sims has been an ongoing one. Others have brought simplicity into focus with products like Golaem Crowd for Maya.
Atoms is different from the others by being a standalone framework allowing it to support multiple 3D software packages. The framework gives you full control on every aspect of the simulation process. Different users can take advantage of their own skillsets: Like working with nodes, python scripting, or plugins — Each can be an Atoms workflow.
About ToolChefs. Founded in 2014 by Daniele Federico and Alan Stanzione, who between them have more than 20 years experience within the VFX and Animation industries. Daniele specializes in animation, rigging and pipeline development and has worked on projects to include Gravity, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Happy Feet 2, The Guardians of the Galaxy to name a few. Alan has a degree in Electronic Engineering and was the main developer of the MPC crowd engine ALICE for many years. ALICE has been used in movies like World War Z, Guardians of the Galaxy, Exodus, Maleficent, 300: Rise of an empire and many others. ToolChefs specialize in creating unique plugins for a variety of software packages, such as Autodesk Maya, The Foundry Nuke, SideFX Houdini and Newtek Lightwave.
Product: Toolchefs Atoms Crowd
Version: 2.0.5
Supported Architectures: x64
Website Home Page : https://atoms.toolchefs.com/
Language: english
System Requirements: PC / Linux
Platform: Microsoft Windows / Red Hat, CentOS, Fedora and Ubuntu
Platform requirements: *
Size: 597.5 mb
3D Packages supported
- Autodesk Maya 2016, 2016.5, 2017, 2018 (64 bit)
- Side FX Houdini 15.x & 16.x
- Katana 2.5 & 2.6 & 3.0
Rendering engines
- V-Ray 3.5x, 3.6x
- Renderman 20.x,21.x
- Arnold 4.x, 5.x, 5.1.1.X
- V-Ray 3.5x, 3.6x
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